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  • Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-02-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the amount of financial penalties was for non-compliance with national minimum wage (a) imposed on and (b) paid by each of the 92 employers who were named and shamed by his Department for such non-compliance on 5 February 2015.

    Nick Boles

    We do not publish details of penalties in individual cases. The employers named in the February 5th round were issued with a combined total of over £629,000 in penalties. To date, 84 of the 92 employers have paid penalties. The remaining 8 are being pursued by HM Revenue and Customs compliance officers.

  • Dan Jarvis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Dan Jarvis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2016-02-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps his Department is taking to encourage businesses to advertise flexible working arrangements by default in job advertisements.

    Nick Boles

    Flexible working is now a key aspect of today’s employment landscape with a growing number of employees taking advantage of flexible working – either through an informal arrangement with their employer or through the statutory Right to Request Flexible Working. This was extended to all employees with 26 weeks qualifying service in June 2014 and at the same time it was made easier for employers to consider requests for flexible working.

    At the time this change was introduced, employers were encouraged to use the strapline “Happy to Talk Flexible Working” when advertising jobs. The Right to Request was promoted in various ways, including a conference for employers which explained the benefits of flexible working and provided practical tips and as part of the GREAT campaign.

  • Alex Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Alex Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2016-02-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 3 February 2016 to Question 24265, when he plans to (a) assess how many further education institutions are likely to incur financial penalties as a result of triggering break clauses in loan agreements they hold with banks resulting from his Department’s area reviews and (b) publish such data.

    Nick Boles

    I refer the hon Member to the answer to Question UIN 24265

    “

  • Alex Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Alex Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2016-02-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 3 February 2016 to Question 24265, what criteria colleges and post-16 educational institutions will have to meet in order to access the transitional funding facility allocated by his Department.

    Nick Boles

    Further details of the purpose and availability of the transitional funding facility will be available in due course.

  • Alex Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Alex Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2016-02-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 3 February 2016 to Question 24265, how much transitional funding has been allocated to meet costs deemed essential to the successful implementation of his Department’s area reviews but which cannot be met locally.

    Nick Boles

    Further details of the purpose and availability of the transitional funding facility will be available in due course.

  • Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-02-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the value was to the UK economy of the game meat market in each of the last five years.

    Anna Soubry

    Official statistics are not broken down in sufficient detail in order to separate the value added and employment attached to the processing and sale of game-meat from that of other meat or poultry products.

  • Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-02-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many post offices are earmarked for closure in the next three years.

    George Freeman

    Government’s funding arrangements for Post Office Limited require them to maintain a network that meets nationwide access criteria.

    Within that framework, the provision of post offices is the operational responsibility of Post Office Limited. I have therefore asked Paula Vennells, the Chief Executive of Post Office Limited, to write to you on this matter. A copy of her reply will be placed in the libraries of the House.

  • Louise Haigh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Louise Haigh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-02-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, when his Department plans to answer Questions 25349, 25350, 25505, 25506, 25604, tabled on 2 February 2016 and Question 24982, tabled on 1 February 2016.

    Joseph Johnson

    I have replied to the hon Member.

  • Nick Thomas-Symonds – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    Nick Thomas-Symonds – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nick Thomas-Symonds on 2016-02-08.

    To ask the Attorney General, pursuant to the Answer of 18 January 2016 to Question 22400, if he will meet the hon. Member for Torfaen to discuss the case of Norman James.

    Robert Buckland

    I am happy to meet any Honourable Member where appropriate to discuss any issues for which I am accountable to this House. However, in this case I do not believe that a meeting would serve a particular purpose as I am accountable only for the decisions of the Crown Prosecution Service, and the specific allegations raised by Mr James are ones that would be more appropriate for the police to investigate. As I pointed out in my previous answer the CPS has no investigatory powers in this regard.

  • Baroness Randerson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Baroness Randerson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Randerson on 2016-02-08.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether their strategy for rolling stock specifies the need for new diesel rolling stock to serve the rail lines not specified for electrification, and if so, how will they ensure that an adequate supply of new diesel rolling stock is manufactured and procured.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    The success of the railways today, with additional services, greater passenger demand and significant Government investment, means that there will be a need for the future deployment of new or cascaded diesel units.

    We believe that the franchising programme delivers the best solution for bidders to specify rolling stock to meet the required outputs. A proportion of the available quality points from the franchise evaluation are dedicated to plans for rolling stock. This means that bidders have every incentive to look for solutions, including new, when providing trains for a franchise.